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Monthly Archives: December 2013

As it seems that social media will play a bigger role in future research of all disciplines, there must be a way on how Facebook posts, tweets, YouTube videos, etc. should be cited in academic publications.

Well, it’s official, you can now officially cite social media sources in MLA and APA formats. Although this might not seem like a big deal, it is an important step in acknowledging social media as an important source of information for scholarly work. Of course, it warrants a discussion with students about when to cite tweets. For example, citing a person’s opinion in a paper is important, but citing a person’s tweet as a factual basis for an argument doesn’t hold up nearly as well!

Check out the citation formats below, and feel free to download, share and copy this graphic:

The Chicago Manual of Style

Blog Posts:

Firstname Lastname, “Title of the Blog Post Entry,” title or description of the blog with (blog), Date posted, url.

* Note – “(blog)” does not need to be included if the word “blog” is part of the name of the blog already.

Citations of blog posts are part of the notes and not included in the bibliography unless they are frequently cited in one paper.

Emails:

Firstname Lastname, email message to XX, Date.

Citations of emails are usually provided in a note and are rarely listed in a bibliography. Email addresses should not be included.

Annual General Meetings:
An Annual General Meeting (AGM), or a shareholders meeting, is a large gathering held by publicly traded companies. These meetings are held in order to let shareholders ask the board of directors questions about a company’s health, as well as to elect new members to the board.

Board Meetings:
While the term “Board Meeting” technically means a gathering of a company or organization’s board of directors, to us a board meeting really is a gathering of decision makers. At this gathering, important facts are presented and decisions are made as to the best course of action to take in the coming months.

Breakout Session:
At a convention or conference, breakout sessions are meetings (workshops, seminars, or presentations) intended for small groups. These meetings can be held in smaller meeting rooms within a convention center or hotel as well as off-site meeting and boardrooms.

Business Dinners and Banquets:
These are generally formal celebrations organized by a company or organization to celebrate achievements within the organization and to boost employee and member morale. Depending on the size of the organization, these dinners may be a small gathering at a local restaurant or conducted in a large hotel banquet hall or unique event space like an art gallery or museum.

Conference:
Although “conventions” and “conferences” are terms that are used interchangeably, the meeting industry standard definition of a conference is of a meeting of a shorter duration than a convention and designed to meet a specific objective.

Colloquium:
A colloquium can be best described as an “academic networking event.” Participants are often experts in a given field and they meet to informally present and exchange new ideas. Some academic programs require participation in a colloquium in order to complete the program.

Conclave:
Conclaves are meetings conducted in secret. In general, conclaves are used to describe “closed door” meetings between individuals who have a certain level of power or influence. One of the most famous conclaves is the Papal conclave, where cardinals meet to elect a new pope.

Congress:
While most Americans generally associate the word “Congress” with the legislative branch of government, a congress can also a large group of individuals who meet on a regularly scheduled basis, often to make decisions through a debate and voting process.

Consumer Shows:
A consumer or gate show is a trade show that’s open to the general public. These shows generally have an entrance fee. People interested in learning about the latest products (electronics, automobiles, etc) often go to consumer shows.

Conventions:
A convention is an a large gathering of people with a shared interest (usually professional or fandom related). These events are often recurring, and are usually scheduled at a specific time each year. Conventions usually have keynote speakers, as well as presentations that familiarize attendees with advancements or trends within a their particular field of interest

Exhibitions:
An exhibition is a trade show that focuses on B2B businesses.

Expo or Expositions:
An expo is a large scale exhibition or trade show often conducted on an international level. One of the most common examples of an expo is The World’s Fair.

Fairs:
A fair is a trade show or expo organized for the purpose of exhibiting arts and crafts, industrial products and agricultural products, but more local and on a smaller scale. Unlike most trade shows, entertainment and fair food (think fried twinkies and french fry studded corn dogs!) are often a major draw.

Functions:
A social gathering or party, sometimes of a ceremonial nature. A function is usually one or one of several gatherings that contribute to a larger event.

Fundraisers:
A fundraiser can be a party, dance, dinner organized for the express purpose of raising money for a cause or organization.

Galas:
A gala is a large scale dinner gathering or party that often includes entertainment and/or awards ceremonies following dinner.

“Green” Meetings:
“Green” meetings are events produced with sustainability in mind. When planning an event considerations are made concerning the use of water, electricity, fuel as well as the consumption of renewable products as opposed to disposable products.

International Events:
According to the meeting industry standard definition, an international event is any event where 15% or more of the participants come from out of the the event’s host country.

Meetups:
A meetup is an informal meeting or get-together organized for people with similar interests. These interests can be anything: dating, networking, board games, romance novels, meditation, hiking, wine tasting–just to name a few. Most meetups are associated with meetup.com, a website that provides listing services for meetups.

Networking Events:
Organizing or sponsoring a networking event can be a great way to raise a company or individual’s profile within a certain community. Networking events can run from informal schmooze and booze affairs at a local bar to fully fledged galas complete with an open bar.

Party:
A generic term for any social gathering.

Plenary or General Sessions:
A large meeting open to all people attending an event. These sessions often kick off a large conference or convention before it begins.

Political Events:
Political events are organized to raise awareness or funds for a particular candidate or cause. Democratic and Republican national conventions, the largest political events in the U.S. are organized to energize the base and bring in delegates from each of the 50 states.

Press Conferences:
Press conferences are often organized by newsmakers (most often in politics but also in business and in sports) to make an announcement or to field questions by press who happen to be invited to the conference.

Product Launch Events:
Product Launches are often large scale events whose organizers invite journalists, bloggers and social media influencers to witness the very first unveiling of a company’s product. A successful product launch will often include a venue that is unique to the product being used.

Receptions:
In the meetings industry, receptions refer to a social function where light refreshments are served, usually buffet style. Receptions are often informal, and attendees will usually stand up and socialize rather than sit down at a table. For weddings and other social events, receptions are informal celebrations or gatherings that follow a more formal ceremony.

Retreats and Team Building Events:
Retreats can be anything from go-cart races to ski trips to ropes courses. Essentially the purpose of the retreat is to get team members to know each other better and thus be more efficient as a team.

Seminars:
In business, seminars are meetings organized to inform a group of people about a specific topic, or to teach a specific skill. Expert speakers and teachers are usually invited to speak on topics like personal finance, investing, real estate, web marketing, and many others.

Social Events:
A large gathering organized to celebrate major life events and religious ceremonies. Common social events include: anniversaries, weddings, birthdays, and bar/bat mitzvahs.

Symposiums:
Symposiums are meetings organized so that experts in a given field can meet, present papers, and discuss issues and trends or make recommendations for a certain course of action.

Trade Shows:
Trade Shows are an opportunity for companies to exhibit some of their latest products, as well as yet to be released prototypes to journalists as well as others in the industry.

Workshops:

The terms “workshop” and “seminar” are used interchangeably. While both are education focused events, workshops generally have more hands-on and group activities. Workshops are better for teaching skills that require interactivity and individual participation to learn.

What is a Seminar?
A seminar may be defined as a gathering of people for the purpose of discussing a stated topic. Such gatherings are usually interactive sessions where the participants engage in discussions about the delineated topic. The sessions are usually headed or led by one or two presenters who serve to steer the discussion along the desired path.

PURPOSE OF A SEMINAR
A seminar may have several purposes or just one purpose. For instance, a seminar may be for the purpose of education, such as a lecture, where the participants engage in the discussion of an academic subject for the aim of gaining a better insight into the subject. Other forms of educational seminars might be held to impart some skills or knowledge to the participants. Examples of such seminars include personal finance, web marketing, real estate, investing or other types of seminars where the participants gain knowledge or tips about the topic of discussion.

Of course, a seminar can be motivational, in which case the purpose is usually to inspire the attendees to become better people, or to work towards implementing the skills they might have learned from the seminar. For instance, a business seminar with a financial theme could be for the purpose of teaching small business owners how to pitch to investors or to write a solid business plan, and to motivate them to get started right away.

Sometimes, seminars are simply a way for businessmen and women, or other like-minded people, to network and meet other attendees with similar interests. Such seminars provide opportunities for the attendees to make some potentially valuable contacts that can help them move to the next level in their careers or endeavors.

A trade seminar brings a wide cross-section of the community together, such as government officials, businessmen and women and the general public. Such seminars often consist of workshops and the presentation of white papers. They are usually held for the purpose of networking with various vendors and making new connections.

SEMINARS VS. WORKSHOPS
The main difference between seminars and workshops is that seminars are usually more academic and less hands-on than workshops. Seminars are events that are mostly geared towards educational topics and usually feature one or more experts on the subject matter. On the other hand, workshops are generally less formal and require more attendee participation than seminars. The main thrust of workshops is for the participants to gain new skills during the event under the guidance of the instructor.

PLANNING A SEMINAR
The first step towards planning an effective seminar is to determine what the purpose of the seminar will be. Think about the target audience who will participate and what they stand to gain from attending the seminar. Every seminar must have an agenda, so determine what the agenda will be. Set a budget for the seminar and work within this budget, and don’t get too carried away with the selection of venue and other considerations that could potentially cost money.

BEFORE THE SEMINAR
Find speakers for the seminar through an analysis of the subject matter and the speakers who can best fit the occasion. Such speakers may be professional speakers, or just people with the requisite knowledge and authority to effectively convey the desired message.

You also have to find a proper venue for the seminar. This process can be simplified by utilizing the venue finder here on eVenues. Some of the things to consider when choosing an event venue include the availability of the necessary technical infrastructure to support the event.

For example, the venue should have audio-visual facilities and communication equipment. Depending on the season, the air-conditioning or heating should be functioning properly. Find out if they have a stand or dais for the speaker and if they offer catering services. Another important consideration is the availability of ample parking for the seminar attendees.

Send out invites to those who will attend the seminar and engage in active marketing of the event through various means. For instance, the numerous social media sites are an excellent method for marketing the event. Facebook events, Eventbrite, Lanyrd, and other such sites can help publicize the event and keep the prospective attendees up to date regarding developments. Prospective attendees can also indicate their willingness to attend the seminar by accepting the invitations sent to them through these channels.

Confirm the number of attendees to the seminar since this information is necessary for logistics like accommodations, seating arrangements, car pick-ups and even the catering arrangements. The confirmation of the willingness of the keynote speakers to attend is especially important very early in the planning stages since this will help in the designing of the logos, brochures and other promotional materials.

Select volunteers to help with activities like guiding and helping the seminar attendees. If they need training to familiarize themselves with their expected duties, ensure that they receive such training well ahead of the seminar.

AFTER THE SEMINAR
Analyze the outcome of the seminar, including the response of the attendees and their feedback in order to discover whether the aims of the seminar were met. You can also send out thank you notes to the attendees through emails and any other follow up, such as upcoming seminars.

Planning a Workshop

Learning how to conduct a workshop is important for educators, business leaders and other professionals. A successful workshop provides participants with new skills, information and a sense of accomplishment. Workshop delivery involves several steps that begin with planning and end with evaluation and follow up. Here are some strategies for conducting a workshop.

Step 1: Define the Goals
Every workshop must have a goal. Do you need to improve your company’s hiring procedures? Do you want to teach managers how to be better organizers? Do you need to do some team building with a newly formed team?

Many workshops are a waste of time because there’s no clear goal kept at the center of the discussion. Without this clear goal, there’s really no point in getting people together.Step 2: Decide Who Will Attend
Knowing who will attend directly relates to your objective. For example, if your workshop’s goal is to develop a detailed solution to a problem, then you probably want 10 or fewer key attendees. If your goal is centered on education, then you might be happy with a much larger group, which divides into smaller groups for discussion.

Make a list of who needs to be there. Try to be as specific as possible, but leave a few openings for last-minute additions.

Step 3: Choose the Right Location
If you have 10 attendees, then the conference room down the hall will probably be just fine. But if you have 50 people, you may have to find an outside location that’s large enough.

Think about the logistics and practical details of your workshop when you choose the location. Will everyone be able to see your visual aids? If you need a certain technology, like teleconferencing, will the location support it? Are there appropriate facilities for breakout sessions? Will everyone be able to reach the venue? Will you need to organize accommodation for people who are coming from a long way away? And what catering facilities does the venue provide?

Step 4: Create an Agenda
Now that you know your primary objective and who will attend, you can start to develop an outline of how you’ll achieve the workshop’s goal.
Main points – Create a list of main points to discuss, and then break down each larger point into details that you want to communicate to your audience.
Visual aids – List the visual aids, if any, you’ll use for each point. If you need technical support, this helps the people providing it to determine where they need to focus their efforts.
Discussions and activities – Take time to list exactly which group discussions and activities you’ll have at which point in the workshop. How much time will you allow for each exercise? Make sure your activities are appropriate for the size of the group, and ensure that your venue has the resources (for example, seminar rooms) needed to run sessions.
Remember, the more detailed your plan, the more you’ll ensure that your workshop will run to schedule – and be successful.Step 5: Develop a Follow-up Plan
The only way to find out if your workshop was a success is to have an effective follow-up plan. Create a questionnaire to give to all participants at the end of the event, and give them plenty of opportunity to share their opinions on how well it went. Although this can be a bit scary, it’s the only way to learn – and improve – for the next time.

It’s also important to have a plan to communicate the decisions that were reached during the workshop. Will you send out a mass email to everyone with the details? Will you put it on your company’s intranet? People need to know that their hard work actually resulted in a decision or action, so keep them informed about what’s happening after the workshop has ended.

During the Workshop – Getting People Involved
Once you have a solid advance plan, figure out how to bring some excitement into your event. You know the topics that you want to cover, but how will you make the information fun and memorable for your team?

Getting everyone involved is key to a successful workshop. If you stand up and talk for three hours, you’re just giving a lecture – not facilitating a workshop. Everyone needs to participate.

Creating group exercises is different for each workshop. Keep these tips in mind:

Many people are nervous about speaking up in an unfamiliar group. If you plan group exercises, keep the size of each group small, so people are more comfortable talking and interacting.

Mix up different types of people in each group. For example, if several departments participate in your workshop, don’t put members of the same department in their own group. By encouraging people to interact with other departments, they can learn to look at things from different perspectives.

Determine how you’ll record the ideas from each group. Will participants shout them out while you write them down? Or will they write down their own ideas and then give them to you? This is a small, but important, detail that’s often overlooked.

If you have five or fewer groups, spend time allowing the entire team to evaluate the ideas from each smaller group. This is a great way to narrow down your list of ideas, and let the good ones really shine.

Remember, spend as much time as you can creating fun and interesting group exercises. These will likely keep everyone interested and participating.

Overall Workshop TipsHere are some more ideas for running a successful workshop:

If you plan the meeting, you may want to facilitate it as well. Learn how to do this effectively in The Role of a Facilitator .

Start the meeting with a few icebreakers to get everyone relaxed and comfortable.

If your workshop’s goal is to address a difficult or sensitive topic, it’s especially important to get the group comfortable before starting. One way is to tell a story that’s loosely related to the topic before you begin discussing the difficult issue.Sometimes, not everyone has to stay for the entire workshop. For instance, the CEO might be too busy to attend the whole session. Identify which sections your busiest participants need to attend, and suggest in advance when they might want to arrive and leave. They’ll appreciate your consideration.

Where possible, avoid holding your workshop after lunch, between 2:00 and 3:00 in the afternoon. For many people, this is their slowest, most unproductive time of day. Your group will probably be more energetic if you schedule the event in the morning or late afternoon. (If you have to run the workshop in the early afternoon, make sure there’s plenty of strong coffee available!)
If your workshop’s ultimate goal is to make a decision about something, the more people who attend, the less likely it is that you’ll reach a decision. Here, try to keep the number of people attending to a minimum (for example, by issuing minutes after the event to people who are just interested.) It’s also important to become familiar with the different strategies for team decision making.

What is a Colloquium?
“Colloquium” is a Latin derivative that refers to an informal meeting or seminar which is usually of an academic nature where different scholars/lecturers/specialist deliver lectures on different topics at each meeting. Each presenter will then entertain questions based on their delivery. The meeting is of a dual nature where an address is followed by a question and answer session/forum.

PURPOSE OF A COLLOQUIUM
A colloquium is meant to deal with a current, cutting-edge concerns through preparatory study, followed by a debate and meeting to formulate policies. Concerns are usually of an academic nature that is common to particular to a group such as scientists, students doing a certain course and educators.

How does it differ from a regular conference or workshop? A colloquium is usually of an academic nature with one common academic theme, and is meant to garner the views of others. A conference is a consultation meeting or a meeting where information is exchanged or discussed, but not necessarily of an academic nature. The proceedings at a conference usually follow a formal agenda, and presenters are not necessarily a scholar or anyone with an academic affiliation. The presenters at colloquium present papers and then analyze and discuss a particular topic.

PLANNING A COLLOQUIUM
A seminar requires adequate pre-prep and pre-planning if it is to achieve the intended purpose. Identify the purpose, the right audience and the expected outcome. Will the results of the meeting be used for educational purposes or is the meeting to be a forum to facilitate the sharing of information among peers? Set your date and identify a location.

FINDING APPROPRIATE SPEAKERS, VENUES…
Decide on and finalize your seminar agenda, presentations and the speakers. This will allow you to select the right venue, and develop an agenda for a meeting that will flow properly.

Proper planning will include the identification of a suitable space that will help to meet the needs of the meeting. Once you have identified a suitable location, contract the venue operators and make the necessary arrangements for setting up the room to host the event.

Pay particular attention to the amenities you will need for the event. This includes catering, AV, technical details, room setup (furniture and lighting). Ensure that an established contract is set up so that the responsibilities are clearly defined and a specific price is agreed on. Visit the venue and do a thorough inspection before the event.

MARKETING THE COLLOQUIUM
You would have already decided the audience you need for the colloquium, so now its time to develop an invitation list of potential attendees. Create an invitation and send it out with no less than one month to spare before the scheduled date of the event. Your invitation should include a method for people to register and confirm attendance.

Though not necessary, it is an added benefit to use supporting materials such as posters, handouts and graphics. They add to the effectiveness of your event and your attendees will receive something as a takeaway.

Measure the success/effectiveness of the colloquium after the event by providing attendees with a feedback form.

Help! He takes hours to answer a text message when we all KNOW that our phones are glued to our face. I don’t understand…we will be texting back and forth for a few, then nothing…air silence! I told him it bothers me but he keeps doing it!

What is the deal? I am so OVER the 4 hour response time…especially when we don’t talk over any other media.

Read our guy’s response after the jump.
I would say that we guys prefer text because it makes it easier to avoid talking to someone when we don’t feel like it. Speaking for myself, there have been times when I’ve bailed on responding to a text simply because I’m busy with something else.

I think all guys would generally agree: we tend to be single-minded in what we’re doing and focus on meeting one objective at a time. Anything outside of our focus at that moment is a distraction that we don’t want to “deal with”.

The times in my life that I would go MIA on a text message would be:

1) If I wasn’t that into her.
2) If I was really busy with work.
3) If the girl was being needy.
4) If I honestly did not have my phone near me.
5) If I’m with another girl (note: If I’m in a relationship it’s monogamous, I never cheat, but if not dating around is fair game.)

In your situation, it sounds like this guy will try to make plans and then when it gets complicated, or it seems like it isn’t gonna happen, he directs his attention elsewhere and doesn’t feel the need to text further (again it comes down to the concept of men needing to fulfill an objective or a goal).

Now you mentioned that you’ve expressed your frustration over his behavior and he hasn’t changed. The reason for that is simple – when you call a guy out on something (‘why didn’t you call?’ ‘where were you?’ ‘why’d you take so long to text back?’) you might think you’re drawing a line in the sand, but he sees it as something else entirely: NEEDINESS.

I think I speak for all guys when I say avoid acting needy at all costs. Neediness has repelled me away from more girls than I care to disclose.

Rather than calling him out when he doesn’t respond, I would say make other plans. DON’T wait on him because people tend to see how much they can get away with. If you’re always available to the guy, he’ll treat you like a doormat. If you are selectively available and only act as accommodating as he is to you, you will get the respect and “good behavior” you’re looking for. This isn’t just a guy thing… it’s a human thing – we value only what we have to work for.

I would encourage you to look for opportunities for the guy to make an effort towards you. The more of an effort he puts into seeing you or doing things for you, the more invested in you he’ll become. This is why being accommodating to bad behavior is actually harmful to creating a bond with the guy in the beginning.

Any girl I’ve ever really cared for (and showed priority towards) was a challenge to me. She wasn’t transparent – some things were left a mystery. And she didn’t put up with behavior that didn’t work for her – namely, if I left her hanging, I could be sure she’d make other plans.

Showing the guy that you’re not going to wait around for him if he disappears demonstrates a lot of good things about you: you have your own life, you have options and your world doesn’t revolve around him. A guy wants a girl like this because he knows that you can take care of yourself and you won’t drag him down with neediness. Plus, again, challenge is everything.